How to Accept HSA/FSA Without an Integration
No developer, no checkout change, no sales call. What accepting HSA and FSA without an integration really means, and who is left filing the claim.
7 minute read
Short answer
You can accept HSA and FSA money without touching your checkout, and for most businesses that's the right way to do it. Customers pay you exactly as they do now. Burst writes the letter of medical necessity and files the reimbursement claim, so the money comes back to them out of their account. Live in 30 minutes, free for merchants with no contract, plus a one-time letter fee.
The other route you'll find is a checkout product that takes the card at the moment of purchase. Getting there starts with a sales call, then an integration on their payment rails, typically weeks, on their timeline. The merchant terms aren't published and typically include a rev share. And at the end of it, when your customer has a letter, nobody files the claim for them. The customer is left to do it alone.
So "without an integration" is two different products depending on who you ask. One removes the build. The other removes the build and the customer's paperwork.
To offer it this week, start at getburst.com/self-serve.
(Reading this as a customer, not a business? You can get a letter for your own purchase directly from Burst.)
What "no integration" should mean
Ask three questions of anything sold to you this way.
Does anything go on my site? A script, a plugin, an app, a checkout button and a hosted payment page are all integrations, however light. If a developer has to be involved, it's a build.
Does my payment change? If customers have to pay through somebody else's checkout to get the benefit, your payment changed, and so did your data, your refunds and your reconciliation.
Who does the paperwork after the letter? This is the one nobody asks. A letter on its own is a PDF. Somebody has to submit it with the receipt to the customer's plan administrator and answer questions if they come.
The three answers in practice
What goes on your site | What changes about payment | Who files the claim | |
|---|---|---|---|
Card-rail checkout (Truemed or Flex) | Their checkout, after a sales call and an integration | Customers pay through their rails | Nobody; the customer is left to file |
Their letter-only offering | A link | Nothing | Nobody; the customer is left to file |
Burst | A link | Nothing | Burst files it for the member |
The middle row is the one that gets described as the easy option. It is easy for you. It moves the whole burden onto the customer, at the moment they're least equipped to deal with it.
The no-integration options, side by side
Truemed | Flex | Burst | |
|---|---|---|---|
What it is | Card-rail HSA/FSA checkout, LMNs, partner marketplace | Card-rail HSA/FSA checkout, LMNs, partner marketplace | LMN and reimbursement platform, no checkout involvement |
Who files the reimbursement claim | Nobody; the customer is left to file | Nobody; the customer is left to file | Burst files it for the member |
Getting live | Sales call, then checkout integration, typically weeks | Sales call, then checkout integration, typically weeks | Self-serve, live in 30 minutes, no integration |
What it costs you | Not public; typically a rev share | Not public; typically a rev share | Free for merchants, no revenue share |
Customer letter fee | One-time letter fee, paid by the customer | ||
If no letter is issued, or the claim is denied | No published guarantee | No published guarantee | The one-time letter fee is refunded to the customer automatically |
Business types accepted | Partner application | Partner application | Any business, no application |
Contract | Set in their sales process | Set in their sales process | No contract |
Both companies can get a letter to a customer without a checkout build. The difference is what happens in the week after the letter arrives.
Why Burst is the best HSA/FSA option for a business
Burst files the claim. Clinician writes the letter. Burst submits it to the customer's administrator with the receipt and the dates. No paperwork for the customer.
No letter, no charge. Claim denied, money back. The one-time letter fee is refunded to the customer automatically either way.
Free for merchants. No contract, no revenue share.
There is genuinely nothing to install. No app, no plugin, no script on your site, no change to your payment provider, and no developer time. You place a link where your customers already are.
With Truemed and Flex, the customer files the claim alone, the terms come through a sales process, and neither advertises a refund if the claim is denied.
See how it works or go live now.
What does it look like for a customer?
The customer pays you normally, then fills out a two-minute intake. A licensed clinician reviews it and, if appropriate, signs the letter, usually the same day. Burst files the claim. Their administrator pays them back by deposit or check. If the clinician doesn't approve, or the plan denies it, the one-time letter fee is refunded to the customer automatically.
One timing rule: the letter has to predate the purchase, so put the link where the decision happens, before the purchase. The line that works on your site: "may be reimbursable with a letter of medical necessity."
Why the filing step decides this
A customer who gets a letter and no help does one of three things. They file correctly and get paid. They file badly, get denied, and blame the purchase. Or they put it in a folder and never file at all.
Only the first one produces a happy customer, and it's the one that requires them to know what their administrator wants. When Burst files it, the customer's job ends at the two-minute intake, and if the plan says no the one-time letter fee is refunded to the customer automatically.
How to set this up without touching your site
Sign up at getburst.com/self-serve. About 30 minutes, and no developer is involved and no code goes on your site.
Put your Burst link wherever your customers already look: a pricing page, an email footer, an order confirmation, a card at the counter, a link in bio.
Keep taking payment exactly as you do now. Customers enroll, get their letters, and Burst files their claims.
If you don't have a website at all, this still works. A link and a printed card are enough.
Frequently asked questions
Can I accept HSA and FSA without integrating anything?
Yes. Customers pay you exactly as they do today, and Burst handles the letter of medical necessity and files the reimbursement claim. Nothing goes on your site and your payment provider isn't involved.
Do Truemed or Flex offer a no-integration option?
Each has a way to get a letter to a customer without a checkout build. In both cases the customer is then left to file the claim themselves.
Do I need a website?
No. A link in an email, on a printed card, or in a bio is enough.
How long does setup take?
About 30 minutes, self-serve, with no sales call.
What does it cost?
Free for merchants, no contract, and never a percentage of your revenue, plus a one-time letter fee, paid by the customer.
Can a customer be reimbursed for a purchase they made before signing up?
No. The letter has to be dated on or before the purchase it covers.
Is the letter a guarantee the customer gets paid back?
No. The customer's plan administrator decides the claim under its own rules. Burst files it, and if the plan says no, the one-time letter fee is refunded to the customer.
More in
